Laura Gillen, Anthony D'Esposito face off in 4th Congressional District race 

Democrat Laura Gillen and Republican Anthony D'Esposito have focused their campaigns for Congress on the same national issues dominating other House races: Gillen zeros in on protecting abortion rights and strengthening federal gun laws. D'Esposito talks crime and rising inflation.

But the race to succeed retiring Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-Garden City) is at its core local, as the two rehash old feuds as former foes on the Hempstead Town Board.

From 2017 to 2019, Gillen was Hempstead's supervisor — the first Democrat to hold the job in more than a century.

D'Esposito, a former NYPD detective, was a chief rival on a quarrelsome town board.

They sparred for two years on issues such as taxes, nepotism and corruption in Town Hall, and have revived those issues in this year's congressional campaign.

Gillen cited D'Esposito's loyalty to Republicans in Hempstead and Nassau County, and said she distrusted his position on abortion.

"He is a lockstep Republican, he is a rubber stamp for anything they want," she told Newsday. "That's what his whole record demonstrates, if you look at his voting history in the Town of Hempstead. And that's what he'll do in Washington."

D'Esposito said Gillen has a "history of not just bending the truth, but outright lying."

He told Newsday: "I've flat-out made statements that I would not support a nationwide abortion ban. And their answer is 'Well, he's not telling the truth.' I am telling the truth."

D'Esposito was an administrative assistant for the Republican commissioner of the Nassau County Board of Elections.

"She's on the wrong side of every issue," D'Esposito said. 

The 4th Congressional District has been represented by Democrats since 1997, when Carolyn McCarthy took office after unseating Rep. Dan Frisa (R-Westbury). 

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The seat opened up this year after Rice, a former Nassau County district attorney, announced her decision to retire after four terms.

The district's boundaries largely stayed intact this year after a court-ordered special master redrew election lines in May across New York State.

There are 229,570 registered Democratic voters in the 4th District, compared with 155,457 Republicans and 129,829 voters not affiliated with a political party.

Gillen has an edge in campaign money.

She had raised $1.49 million since announcing her candidacy in February, and had $271,558 on hand as of Oct. 19, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission filings.

In August, Gillen beat three other Democrats for the party's nomination.

D'Esposito, who did not face a primary this year, has raised $1.05 million so far this year, and had $111,180 as of Oct. 19, federal election data shows.

Gillen says she is running to block Republicans from eroding the rights of women, girls and members of the LGBTQ community.

Over coffee at the Laurel Diner in Long Beach, Gillen spoke about protecting reproductive rights, what she viewed as the growth of extremism in the Republican Party and how she would work to find common ground with Republican voters over the gun control issue.

"One of the things that we're looking at is a future where my daughters are going to have less rights than my 81-year-old mother had for most of her life. I think we're going down a scary course," Gillen said.

D'Esposito said he did not think abortion should be an issue in the 4th District race because state abortion protections are secure.

D'Esposito said he expected the results of the Nov. 8 election to reflect widespread dissatisfaction with Democratic President Joe Biden's agenda.

"It's obviously going to be a referendum on the failed policies of Joe Biden, no doubt, but it's also a referendum on the failed policies of the Democrats in general," D'Esposito said in an interview at an Island Park coffee shop.

D'Esposito said crime is an issue for many Long Islanders and portrays New York City as unsafe.

D'Esposito criticized state law enacted in 2020 that eliminated cash bail for most misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies.

He acknowledged House members play no role in passage of state law, but noted that many 4th District residents "travel into the city every day. So is the actual cashless bail and the vote in the budget that put it in place, is it a federal issue? No. But crime is an issue."

Lisa Parshall, a professor of political science at Daemen University in upstate Amherst, near Buffalo and Niagara, said in critical suburban races candidates are focusing on national issues.

"The Democratic candidates are going to be pushing abortion rights, tying their opponents to Trumpism and extremism, and then you see the Republicans trying to shift the narrative, a little bit backing away on previous stances on abortion, and pushing the narrative on crime, crime policy and inflation," she said.

Both Gillen and D'Esposito were born and raised in Hempstead Town and graduated from single-sex Catholic preparatory schools.

Gillen was born at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, grew up in Baldwin and attended Sacred Heart Academy in Hempstead.

Gillen graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

After college she briefly pursued an acting career, and worked at a dive school in Kolkata, India.

During her time in Kolkata, Gillen visited the Kalighat Home for the Dying Destitutes, which Mother Teresa had established.

Patients she worked with "were dying simply because they didn't have access to antibiotics," Gillen recalled.

After returning home, she graduated from New York University's School of Law and became an attorney.

She was elected Hempstead Town Supervisor in 2017. Republican Donald Clavin defeated her in 2019.

D'Esposito's roots are in Island Park.

He was baptized at Sacred Heart Church, where he also had his Communion and confirmation. It's a few doors down from his congressional campaign office. 

D'Esposito graduated from Chaminade High School in Mineola.

As a teenager he washed dishes at a local deli.

His father, Stephen, served as deputy mayor of Island Park and later as chief of staff to former Hempstead Town Supervisor Anthony Santino, whom Gillen defeated in 2017.

After graduating from Hofstra University, he joined the NYPD as a police officer. He later joined a plainclothes unit, and a detective squad.

A member of the Island Park Fire Department since he was 18; he was elected chief in 2009 and served for seven years.

Both Gillen and D'Esposito frequently mention their experience in Hempstead Town Hall.

Gillen accused D'Esposito of stymying many of her supervisor initiatives, and calls him part of the town Republican political machine.

Gillen cites his vote in March 2017 to approve a raise for his mother, Carmen D'Esposito, a secretary to the town highway commissioner, that increased her salary from $86,439 to $88,939.

"His agenda was to obstruct nonpartisan good government initiatives," Gillen said.

D'Esposito conceded he "should have recused myself," from the vote on his mom's salary.

Nonetheless, he accused Gillen of "creating distractions to voters trying to send them in a different direction."

By Scott Eidler

scott.eidler@newsday.com@ScottEidler

Scott Eidler is a deputy editor for the towns department at Newsday. Scott has worked at Newsday since 2012 and previously covered municipal government and education.